Aller au contenu principal

Nepal: COVID-19 Pandemic Situation Report No. 50 (As of 17 December 2021)

Pays
Népal
Sources
UN RC Nepal
Date de publication

This report is produced by Office of the Resident Coordinator in collaboration with partners. It covers the period from 22 October – 17 December 2021.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Advocacy on quick supply on vaccines to Nepal continues by partners at all levels.

• Nepal reached the landmark of having administered more then 20 million Covid-19 vaccine doses on 10 December.

• To date, Nepal has received 31,419,330 doses of Covid-19 vaccines from various sources.

• There are currently 5,526 active Covid-19 cases recorded.

• Preliminary reports estimate a total loss of NRS 8,268 million due to the unseasonal heavy rainfall of mid-October.

• Oral Cholera Vaccination was completed in Kapilvastu district to respond to increased cases of Acute Watery Diarrhea, in coordination with WASH response.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

While new Covid-19 cases remained relatively low throughout the reporting period, daily testing rates were also their lowest in several months, owing at least in part to the nationwide celebrations of the most important festivals in Nepal in October and November. This period was also characterized by a high level of internal and cross-border mobility, as Nepalis traveled first to their homes to celebrate with family and then back to locations of employment. Humanitarian actors were watching closely for indications of any uptick in cases following the festive season when the Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in late November and was first detected in Nepal in early December.

The effects of Omicron on Covid-19 cases and hospitalisation are yet to be seen, however there is an environment of heightened vigilance among responders and preparedness measures are being reviewed. Advancing the nationwide vaccination campaign remains a critical focus, with renewed emphasis in light of Omicron. As of 14 December, 58.4% of the population above 18 years had been administered at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 47% had been fully vaccinated.

Efforts on risk communication have also remained central to preventing the spread of Covid-19, as well as supporting the vaccination campaign. In November, the majority of concerns registered through social listening conducted by Risk Communication and Community Engagement members were related to vaccine availability, efficacy, side effects, vaccination of persons with comorbidities and lack of clarity on procedures for obtaining vaccination certificates/QR codes, as well as information on the new variant of Covid-19.

At the same time, the socio-economic strain associated with the various shocks of the pandemic continue to be a major driver of protection risks. Children without parental care, including as a result of migration or death of main caregiver, is the highest reported incident through the Protection Monitoring and Incident Reporting System. In many parts of Nepal, this strain has been further exacerbated by the unseasonal heavy rains that swept across the country between 17-22 October, destroying thousands of hectares of crops during the harvest season – the main source of food over the coming months for thousands of subsistence farmers. In addition, flood-induced displacement is considered a protection concern, mainly in Karnali, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim provinces.